Ultra sensitive PSA?

[ixolib]

Since Prostatectomy My PSA results always come back as .1, .2, .3 etc..and the numbers are never reflected or displayed as .01, .02, or even .15, .25 etc. After getting back numbers that seem to be rounded up or down prompted me to ask if my facility is using the ultra psa test which they assured me they were. But after seeing how so many folks on here are able to express their PSA in smaller fractional numbers indicates this is not the case. When I asked how a .06 would be displayed the answer was <.1

Question, how can I get my PSA numbers resulted as so many others on here?

[Hidden]

uPSA is useful for detecting a biochemical recurrence but after you reach a certain value (more than 0.2) it doesn’t much matter what psa test you take….except it seems (for me at least) the upsa test is more expensive.

[Gemlin_]

The ultra sensitive PSA test would only have been useful if you originally planed to have salvage therapy when PSA was still less than 0.1

[tango65]

Ultrasensitive PSA is useful to see what happens after radical prostatectomy and eventually decide when to have salvage radiation. treatment.

When there is recurrence and metastatic cancer I believe it is better to round the numbers to 1 decimal. Having more decimal numbers complicates interpreting what is happening and generates anxiety, In the clinical trials I have been, they used Ultra sensitive PSA measurements but they ended up rounding to 1 decimal.

[Tall_Allen]

No, you definitely do NOT need an ultrasensitive PSA test. You are not in the same situation as those others you are comparing yourself to. You have what is called "persistent PSA." What you need is immediate salvage radiation to your prostate bed.

[Justfor_]

All this hypocritic nonsense regarding anxiety etc originates from the medical system in order to evade time consuming questions from patients that can only lead the asked to the embarancing situation of admitting that nothing can be deducted from minor PSA changes. Information, like energy, has value only when it can be exploited/consumed. From your post I gather that you are not the type of person to buy into such naive pretences. Consequently, your only option is to change lab.

[timotur]

You do not need a more expensive uPSA test if your PSA > 0.1.

[cesanon]

"Appears they are fibbing to you!I"

Agreed

[Harley1948]

Thank you! I have been <.02 since my RP and ART (three years now) with the exception of my last PSA (Nov 3) which was <.1. I will make sure the test is coded for uPSA. There was a new person at my urologist that probably coded for a lesser test. FYI - So far, I have been very lucky.

[EdBar]

I always have to ask for it specifically as well as remind them what lab to send it to, in my case that’s Labcorp.

Ed

[TJGuy]

I spent a lot of time and travel and expense trying to find the lowest ultrasensitive PSA tests.

I went to Duke for a <0.01 test which was the lowest I could find while I was on ADT. Labcorp was <0.014

But I asked Labcorp many times what was their lowest, and how someone in one part of the US could get a reading such as 0.008 and all I could get was <0.014.

After many wrong information responses from LabcorpI finally found a person who actually did the research and provided me with the information.

So I'll probably attach part of that response but here is the info you need.

Labcorp ultrasensitive test 140731 goes to <0.006

I paid $139 for that test, my insurance covered it BCBS.

They have another ultrasensitive test 140723 also goes to <0.006. But that costs $161 for "serial monitoring" which is graphs of all psa tests which you don't need.

So they have bounced around over the past several years with how low they report.

But went back down from 0.014 to 0.006 in mid 2021. They said many patients were concerned with the less specific test results.

That is as sensitive as I have found in the US.

[ixolib in reply to TJGuy]

Thanks TJ

[j-o-h-n]

Tell the lab that's how you're going to pay the bill..... by constantly rounding down the lab's bill amount.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Monday 12/06/2021 11:30 PM EST

[ixolib]

Hello all. I posted this question about ultra sensitive PSA tests in anticipation of the following. Any help is appreciated. I am now on Casodex and have gotten my first Eligard shot. I started both of them after my bloodwork showed a 0.6 PSA 4 months after surgery. My hope is to achieve a .01 PSA after these meds do their job but how will I know?? The best I can hope to see is a reading of <0.1 with the tests done in my area. Isn’t this a significant difference? If I were to get to 0.01 then weeks or months later it were to climb to 0.9 I would never know as it would only read as <0.1. Can anyone help me with this?